How Much Does It Cost to Write a Will in Australia?

Detailed Explanation

There's no single answer to what a will costs in Australia, because "writing a will" covers several quite different services at very different price points. What follows is a comparison of the main routes, using figures that are current as of 2026 and drawn from government and Public Trustee sources. For the legal requirements a will actually has to meet, regardless of which route you use, see how do you write a legally valid will in Australia. This page covers only the cost of drafting a will; administering an estate later through probate is a separate expense, covered below.

DIY will kits

A paper or downloadable will kit, sold through post offices, newsagents, or online, is typically the cheapest option, commonly in the range of $30 to $50. Kits are legally valid in every state provided the finished document meets the same signing and witnessing rules as any other will. The trade-off is that no one checks the drafting: an ambiguous clause or a missed formality won't be caught until the will is needed, which is also the one moment it can no longer be fixed.

Online will services

Online will services sit between a kit and a solicitor: a guided digital form, sometimes reviewed by a person with legal training, that produces a document you print, sign, and have witnessed yourself. These commonly cost somewhere in the range of $100 to $400, and some providers charge an ongoing annual fee to keep the will updated rather than a single flat price. The review step is the main advantage over a plain kit, though it's worth checking exactly what "reviewed" means for a given provider before assuming it's equivalent to a solicitor's advice.

Solicitor-drafted wills

A solicitor-prepared will commonly costs a few hundred dollars up to around $1,000 for a straightforward estate, and can run well beyond that, sometimes several thousand dollars, for a complex one. The fee buys judgement, not just paperwork: a solicitor asks about superannuation nominations, blended-family dynamics, business or trust structures, and beneficiaries who might contest the outcome, in a way no template can. Get a quote before assuming your situation is simple enough to skip this.

Public Trustee services

Every state and territory has a Public Trustee (or equivalent) that will prepare a will, and pricing here genuinely differs by state rather than following one national figure:

• New South Wales: NSW Trustee & Guardian charges $462 for a standard will as of 2026, with complex wills starting from $583. Preparation is free for anyone who qualifies for a full Centrelink Age Pension or an equivalent Department of Veterans' Affairs pension.
• Victoria: State Trustees Victoria offers a flat-fee online will for $69, or an in-person appointment starting at $330 for a single person and $600 for a couple.
• Queensland: the Queensland Public Trustee prepares a will free of charge for any Queenslander over 18, regardless of whether the Public Trustee is named as executor.

Other states and territories run similar services at their own price points; check the relevant Public Trustee's current fee schedule rather than assuming one state's figures apply elsewhere. Many Public Trustees also offer a reduced or free service for pensioners and older people even outside the states named above, so it's worth asking directly.

Free and low-cost community options

Outside the Public Trustee system, a handful of other low-cost paths exist:

• Community legal centres in most states offer free wills or will advice to people who meet their eligibility criteria, generally based on income, age, or vulnerability.
• The Salvation Army's Community Wills Days pair volunteer solicitors with people in the community to prepare simple wills for a modest contribution rather than a standard fee.
• Legal Aid offices in most states can point to the nearest free or low-cost will service even where Legal Aid itself doesn't draft wills directly.

None of these are guaranteed to suit every situation, but they're worth checking before assuming a paid service is the only option, particularly for a pensioner or someone on a low income with a straightforward estate.

What none of these figures include

Every price above is for drafting the will itself. It doesn't include probate, the court process that confirms the will and the executor's authority after death, which is a separate cost paid at a different time by the estate, not the will-maker. See probate fees NSW vs Victoria vs Queensland for what that later filing fee looks like, and what is probate and when is it required for whether an estate needs it at all. The two are commonly confused because both involve a court-adjacent process and a fee, but they happen years apart for most people and serve entirely different purposes.

Once a will and the rest of your planning are in order, some people also use the moment to start recording their funeral wishes or think about how they'd like to be remembered; an online memorial is one way to begin shaping that story while you're able to.

Things to Consider

• Cheapest isn't automatically riskiest, and most expensive isn't automatically safest. The right price point depends on how complex your estate and family situation actually are, not on spending as little or as much as possible.
• A blended family, a business, or likely disagreement between beneficiaries are strong reasons to use a solicitor rather than a kit or online service. These are exactly the situations general templates handle worst, and where the extra cost is genuinely worth it.
• Ask about eligibility before assuming you'll pay full price. Pensioners and people over 60 are free or discounted with several Public Trustees, and community legal centres cover more people than "concession card holder" alone.
• A subscription-based online will service costs more over a lifetime than it first appears. Factor in whether you're likely to update the will more than once before deciding a recurring fee is the cheaper option.
• Public Trustee fees change over time and differ by state. The figures above are current as of 2026; check the relevant state's current fee schedule before assuming they still apply.

Common Mistakes

• Assuming the will kit price is the whole cost. A kit that's incorrectly witnessed or ambiguously worded can end up costing far more later, in legal fees to interpret or contest it, than a solicitor would have charged at the outset.
• Confusing the cost of drafting a will with the cost of probate. They're separate expenses, paid at different times, to different parties. See what is probate and when is it required for how the two relate.
• Not checking pensioner or concession eligibility before paying full price. Several Public Trustees, and most community legal centres, offer free or reduced-cost wills that go unused simply because people don't ask.
• Choosing a solicitor purely on price for a complex estate. A blended family, business interests, or a likely dispute are situations where the cheapest quote isn't the best value if it comes from someone unfamiliar with the specific complexity involved.
• Letting an online subscription lapse without realising the will is now out of date. If the service relies on an annual fee to keep documents current, missing a renewal can leave you thinking you're covered when you're not.